


silence

by artsyspikedhair



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Harry Potter, Abusive Dursley Family, Aurors, Dubious Ethics, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Veritaserum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 00:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artsyspikedhair/pseuds/artsyspikedhair
Summary: "It's a routine procedure. My brothers told me about it. Every Gryffindor first year gets led to the Hospital Wing before we get to see our common room and dorm. It's to check for vaccinations and stuff. C'mon, Harry, it won't be that bad. My brother Percy's taking us."





	silence

Harry James Potter was kind of undergoing a culture shock. In just barely a month he went from being the most hated resident on Privet Drive to being wizard, and not just any wizard, but a wizard celebrity. A wizard, with parents who were both magic, and "thumpin' good at it, too" according to Hagrid, before they were murdered (murdered! Not driving drunk!) and they had left Harry a bank account full of Wizarding money. Coins: knuts, Sickles, and Galleons, not pence and pounds! Now Harry was in an entirely new world, with moving pictures and chocolate frogs and a friend! A actual human being who liked him, who envied him even, who hoped they had ended up in the same house and was now smiling and waving Harry over to the seats his brother George had saved for them. Harry was somewhat dazed by the attention, the clapping, the sky ceiling, everything. 

Harry sat next to Ron and began learning about who his new teachers (here they called them Professors, like they do at Muggle Universities) were. "Be careful of Snape," Fred (or was it George? There was a mole Harry had used to tell them apart but the twin was leaning on his cheek so his hand covered it) warned. "He's a biased git and he hates Gryffindor house. He's head of Slytherin, and encourages their team to cheat at Quidditch." 

Harry's head had been swimming with all the new words he had to learn, so he rather stupidly, or at least that's how it seemed to Ron, who had already explained to him what Quidditch was, asked again, "Wha- What's Quidditch?" 

The twin who had not been talking, the one with the mole (Fred), repeated Harry's question in mock-outrage. "What's Quidditch?!" he shouted, and Harry flinched, suddenly remembering it had been explained to him before and wondering if he had now drawn out the wrath of the only people who had ever been nice to him. But Fred continued, "Why, it's only the greatest sport ever invented!" 

Before Fred could go on explaining the merits of Quidditch, the food arrived via magic. Harry's eyes widened as he wondered how much he was allowed to take. The Dursleys never exactly starved him, but they always made it very clear how much food he was allowed, and it was never enough to fill him. Harry supposed, as he watched Ron stuff his own plate with steak and potatoes, that the rules were different when everyone was a freak. He shakily took a piece of chicken, wondering how much food his body could handle after having only gotten eggs and soup for the past three weeks. Fred had continued his explanation about the different positions while Harry had been worrying about portion sizes, and only stopped to fill his plate when Dumbledore interrupted to begin the pre-term remarks. 

Harry ate slowly, knowing the consequences of eating fast from all his time watching Dudley pork out and then find himself sicking up mere hours later. He had only finished off that one piece of chicken when dessert came out. Harry had a treacle tart, and then suddenly the school song, which neither he nor Ron knew. (Harry spent the time looking around and saw that the only first years who had known were Hermione, who had read about it in some book not on the school reading list, and, somehow, Gregory Goyle, one of Draco's fellow bullies. Harry felt better about not knowing it after his scan around the room.) 

But, after the twins dragged their funeral march edition of the song out for an extra five minutes after everyone else had ceased singing, people began standing up and leaving the Great Hall. First years from other houses were lining up behind their Prefects, so the Gryffindors began doing the same. Harry had spotted another Weasley wearing the Prefect pin and hurried behind them, not wanting to be caught left behind while ironically leaving Ron behind in his hurry. Ron ran up after him, though, and it was only after all the Gryffindors had left the hall that Harry had bothered to ask where they were headed. 

"To see Madam Pomfrey, the mediwitch," Ron replied. 

Harry sputtered. "Bu- why? we- I mean- nobody's sick, we don't need-" Harry had slowed his pace and appeared very, very nervous. Ron realized Harry had never experienced Wizarding medicine. 

(Harry had never experienced any medicine. But he had some idea what mediwitch meant, and knew from Dudley's television shows that doctors meant shots and surgery and death, usually.)

"It's a routine procedure. My brothers told me about it. Every Gryffindor first year gets led to the Hospital Wing before we get to see our common room and dorm. It's to check for vaccinations and stuff. C'mon, Harry, it won't be that bad. My brother Percy's taking us." And with that, Ron grabbed Harry's arm and ran to catch up with the rest of the group, who were more than three stairs ahead of them, ignoring that he was half-dragging a Harry that was more and more terrified the longer they moved. 

Percy stopped them at a wooden door. "Alright, kids, I need you to line up in alphabetical order. Madam Pomfrey is just going to check you all over to ensure that nobody has any contagious diseases and to give any Muggle-raised students the necessary vaccines. This will not hurt. We do not use needles, so there is nothing to be scared of. I will be available if you would like someone to go in with you, but you cannot have other first years in with you during the examination. Any questions?" 

The Gryffindors began lining up in alphabetical order, with the exception of Hermione Granger, who began peppering Percy with questions about the differences between Wizarding and Muggle vaccines and diseases and medical techniques in general. Harry did what he was told, and began stroking the wood grain of his wand as he waited for the line to move. 

After about twenty minutes, a nerve-wracked Harry looked up to find the wooden door directly in front of him, with the kind-looking Madam Pomfrey waving him in. Percy asked if he would like a friendly face there, but Harry remembered his aunt's words: "If a person in authority ever asks you about us, you say nothing. Pretend they don't exist." So Harry shook his head and walked into the Hospital Wing, remembering the Sorting Hat's song. He was brave at heart. He would survive this. 

"Hello, Mr. Potter. I'm Madam Pomfrey. To begin the examination, I would like you to sit on the bed." Harry did so. " Good, now before I begin, are you in any pain?" 

Harry shook his head. He was, but it was not new or mysterious pain, so he assumed it was not medically important. This was a mediwitch, after all, she was there for magical ailments, not for anything he suffered back in the normal (Muggle, he thought, not normal. This is my new normal, this is my world now, I'm not going back, Harry changed his course of thought.) Muggle world. 

Madam Pomfrey frowned. From the way he was sitting, she could tell he was indeed in some sort of pain, but pushing for answers never got her anywhere in this first meeting. "Alright, good. Now," Madam Pomfrey brought out her wand and waved it. A list of typical Muggle vaccinations appeared on a clipboard. She handed it to Harry and said "I need you to cross off any vaccinations you have received." 

"I-I don't remember, ma'am. Most vaccinations were when I was really young." 

"Ah, yes, right. I forgot Muggles often give vaccines earlier than we wixen do. Very well then," She took the clipboard back. "I will summon your records from Surrey General Medical Records." She waved her wand again. Nothing happened. "odd, i'm sorry..." 

Madam Pomfrey left the general wing and entered her office to phone the hospital for Harry's medical records. Harry was unsure what was going on. She soon returned. 

"Harry, can you remember ever having had a vaccine?" Harry shook his head. "Ever seen a doctor?" Harry nodded. Television counted, so he wasn't lying, he reasoned to himself. 

"Okay, Harry, now I have to ask you a few questions as general procedure. I need you to answer honestly, okay?" 

"Yes ma'am." 

Madam Pomfrey began simply. She hated this part of the routine, but rarely did any Gryffindor ever have anything come up in it. As long as Harry answered the questions, no further inquiry was necessary. If he didn't, however... 

"Who do you live with?" 

"My aunt, uncle, and cousin." 

"Do you like them?" 

Harry thought for a moment, and decided on a half-truth. "I don't like my cousin Dudley much." 

"oh. Why not?" 

Harry sat there, silently. Madam Pomfrey tried another tactic. "And your aunt and uncle?" 

"They feed me and clothe me and I live under their roof. I owe a lot to them." 

Harry was being evasive, Madam Pomfrey could tell. She ran a quick diagnostic. Harry was 31 kilograms, four feet tall, had very low blood pressure, and was at a normal body temperature. The signs were clear. "Harry, I need to step into my office for a moment. Do not go anywhere." 

She flooed the aurors. "A child has refused to answer some of the preliminary questions in the safety diagnostic interview." 

The auror asked for clarification. "Is there reason to be suspicious?" 

"He's only 31 kilograms. His mother at that age was 40. He has low blood pressure, and I suspect malnutrition, but knowing teenagers I can't very well expect him to tell me if he has an eating disorder or is being abused unless there is some outside pressure forcing the truth out. You know Dumbledore..." 

"Here you go. Veritaserum. If he remains silent, cast a compulsion charm. If your suspicions are correct, floo him here and I'll have Tonks take care of him." 

Madam Pomfrey returned to the Hospital Wing and silently spelled the potion into Harry. She loathed having to do this but as Dumbledore forbade her to physically or magically examine for internal damage and Legilmency on teenagers was psychologically damaging, she had no choice. Safety was of utmost importance, and if the Boy Who Lived starved himself to death under her watch she would be in Azkaban before the body was cold. 

"Sorry about that. Now, once again. "Do you like living with your aunt and uncle?" 

"No." 

"Why not?" 

"They hate magic, especially my aunt." Ah, yes, Madam Pomfrey remembered Lily Evans spent the first few days of term crying to Hagrid about her sister's terrible treatment of her. Petunia Evans was not a well liked name at Hogwarts. 

"Do they mistreat you?" 

"Define mistreat." That was as good as a yes, and Harry wondered what on Earth had compelled him to give such an answer. 

"Have they ever hit you?" 

"Not with their hands. My cousin likes to hit me, though." 

Very specific. Pomfrey heard an implicit implication that they hit Harry with other things, but let it go for now. "Do they call you names?" 

"I get called boy a lot. My cousin calls me a freak, and my uncle calls a lot of what I guess was accidental magic freakish. My aunt called my mom a freak, but she doesn't call me anything. They don't talk about me or to me at all if they can help it." 

"When you did accidental magic, would they punish you?" 

"Yes." A minute passed. Pomfrey cast a silent compulsion charm. "They kept me in my cupboard for a month the last time I did accidental magic, although to be fair I had unleashed a Boa Constrictor on their son. I wasn't fed at all during the time, except at night I would sneak out and steal food. They didn't keep it locked when they were home so I could use the bathroom. Didn't want me stinking up their perfectly normal house." His voice had a definite bitter tone to it. 

Madam Pomfrey loathed to ask this question, as she knew it would be torture to answer, especially without Harry having any choice in whether he answered, but she had a duty to fulfill and four more Gryffindors to question after him. "Have any of your relatives ever touched you sexually?" 

A minute passed. Harry knew what she probably meant, and responded with "I have not been touched sexually by an adult, no." That was all anyone ever meant when they asked about sexual abuse. People his own age he could fight off, he had a choice in, people his own age couldn't be rapists... 

Madam Pomfrey caught the implication in his answer, but needed vocal proof. Dumbledore would not remove Harry on the basis of starvation, verbal abuse, and occasional violence alone, the blood wards were too strong. She had a duty to protect the boy as a student, and he would need counseling if her suspicion was correct. She needed verbal confirmation. "Did your cousin ever touch you sexually?" 

Harry blinked furiously. Tears came to his eyes. At that moment, McGonagall entered. "Madam Pomfrey, what is taking Mr. Potter's examination so long?" 

"The answers to the safety questionnaire. His responses were concerning, but given Dumbledore..." 

McGonagall knew the straitjacket Dumbledore put on Pomfrey when it came to reporting abuse. "Very well. How far are you?" 

"Last question. Mr. Potter, have your relatives ever touched you in a sexual manner?" 

Harry responded so quietly it almost seemed his vocal cords were not in the process at all "yes." 

"was their intent clearly... that?" McGonagall would have gasped had she not known she would be interrupting the mediwitch's work. She merely looked in shock at her new Lion, who had gone through more than she ever imagined a student of hers going through. 

"Considering he took my virginity and called me a poof the entire time while his friends were watching, I'd say yes, the sexual intent was very clear. May I please leave now?" The boy who lived was angry, furious that he was being forced to reveal how damaged, how tainted and weak he was. 

"Minerva?" 

"Yes, Harry, we are leaving now." And she led Harry out of the hospital wing to Gryffindor, where the other first years were waiting. Harry would be taken to the aurors later, for a more thorough psychological and physical examination, but for now, he was going to meet his new dorm mates and see his new house, his new home.


End file.
